Traveling the World

Standing atop this tall hill gives one the impression of greatness. It feels as if the person who ruled over this Roman city would have lived here. You can see the entire city and everything that’s going on, and you don’t even have to leave your house.

This city was built thousands of years ago, but still employed very progressive ideas. There was an ampitheater for pleasure and a public bathroom with a good waste management system in place! When I got down on my knees to inspect the millenia-old bathrooms, my brother simulated how a person would use the bathroom, however he did it directly over me, causing everyone in our tour group to laugh.

Towards the end of our Israel trip, we were in the southern end near Eilat. We found ourselves in the desert, and sleeping in giant tents with Bedouin nomads, or what we believed them to be (people usually modernize and change as time goes on, so the were real Bedouins, but not nomads anymore). They gave us a great show and amazing food on giant trays to be shared with others. Eating with our fingers had become normal by this point, and something I greatly miss, as Chinese people think it’s rude to use your bare hands to eat food.

After going south to the Dead Sea and Eilat, we returned to the Bedouins for a camel ride during the day. I felt bad for the smallest camel in the bunch, because it had to shoulder the weight of our two largest male travelers. It was awkward riding on an animal besides a horse, which I was used to from my childhood at summer camp. I quickly got used to it, and even began naming him and the other camels. In the end, my butt hurt and I almost fell off a few times, but the experience and photos to prove it were worth every moment.

The idea of markets hidden away in small alleys isn’t special to Asia. This occurs throughout the world, and is prevalent in Israel. Inside the walls of Old Jerusalem, you can see a fresh food market with many fruits, vegetables, snacks, and spices. The best thing about these markets is that Jews and Arabs peacefully co-exist. Being an American Jew and served by an Israeli Arab was no problem for them, and the people seemed happy to see visitors from other countries interested in them and their wares. I sampled many tasty snacks, sadly none of which I can remember the names for.

Living in China, we experience the same style of food markets, and I have to say it’s a far better experience feeling the breeze carelessly float through these alleys than to walk through an air conditioned mega-mall which sucks energy out of the planet at a rate faster than you can imagine.

The Western Wall, or Kotel in Hebrew, is one of the most important historical sites to the Jews. In biblical times, this wall was one of the four sides that formed the base of the Second Temple. Like the temple before it, this one was destroyed at the hands of foreign invaders. As a result of the current political situation in Jerusalem, only the Western wall of the old foundation of the temple is accessible to Jews. For this reason, pilgrims from around the world come to see it. Some pray, some cry, but mostly people think back on the history of their people and hope to see change for the better.

Something you may not be aware of is that Orthodox Jews split the men and women during prayer. Because of this, there is a men’s and woman’s side of the Western Wall. Going along with tradition, the man’s side is much larger. If a woman tries to enter the men’s side, armed guards insist they turn around, for fear of breaking the law.

When I went to Israel a few years ago, I brought with me notes my Israeli friend and his family had written for me to stick into the cracks in the wall. I approached them with this proposal, as I knew they hadn’t been to Israel for around 15 years. They were very appreciative for me doing them this huge favor, but it was the least I could do for my second family. Being a reform Jew and not very religious, I put on the kippah and approached the wall. I didn’t really know what to do, so I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of all those around me. After a few minutes, I placed their notes in the wall and left.

This picture was taken on a beautiful cloudless day in the bayside city of Acre, also known as Akko. Across the bay from Acre is the city of Haifa. I was standing on the side of the road looking down upon the beautifully kept Bahai Garden, the most sacred plot of land the Bahai faith owns.

The Bahai is called a religion, yet I personally believe it is more so a way you could live your life, like Taoism or Confucianism. The Bahai are a small group of peaceful people who don’t believe in drinking or smoking. They believe in the unity of all peoples, something I think we all should subscribe to. Like Muslims are meant to travel to Mecca once in their lifetime, followers of Bahai are meant to take a year out of their life to spend in Israel tending to this garden.